JIMS 2011: VOLKSWAGEN DEBUTS BEETLE, GOLF CABRIOLET AND GO!

The Volkswagen stand at the 2011 Johannesburg International Motor Show (JIMS) is one of the largest and several model debuts took place over there. The main ones were the all-new Beetle, the Go! Concept and the Golf Cabriolet. Again, it seems the Africans just don’t receive all the good stuff the Europeans are shown.

Anyways, the Go! made its world debut at the 2011 Geneva Show. It is just under 4 metres long, and has hybrid power under its wings. VW says it will travel about 35km on electricity alone, despite the fact that it also has a 1.4-litre turbo engine. Total system torque is 400Nm, accessed via a 7-speed DSG ‘box.

Beetle redesigned is bigger and supposedly more butch than before. Gone is that mid-mounted flower holder at the centre of the dashboard, and that deep, long dashboard itself. In comes a sharper design, lower roofline, sportier undertones and more powerful engines. Speaking of which, the Mzansi versions will be offered with a 1.2 TSI worth 77kW and a 118kW 1.4 TSI. In Europe there’s a 147kW version also, while a 199kW Beetle R is reportedly under consideration. We’ll see the brand new Beetle in South Africa before June 2012.

The Golf Cabriolet will hopefully do much better for VW than the Eos it replaces. Featuring a soft fabric roof instead of a hard one like the Eos, the Cabrio lands in Mzansi around April 2012 with a 1.4 TSI engine giving out 90kW and 118kW. Cabrio features things like LED daytime running lights, 16-inch wheels and all-round electric windows. Pricing will be very key here, considering the cheapest Eos went for around R356 000 and the most expensive cost R416 000.

There’s also a 77kW Polo Vivo GT, which is really just a kitted-up Vivo with 15-inch Cordoba alloy wheels, chrome pipes, GT badges, red seatbelts and a leather-covered steering wheel among others. Sadly, apart from a lower suspension, no other performance enhancements were done. This is basically the same thing VW did with the Citi Golf R four years ago; keep the same pap engine and decorate the body.